Get to know this year’s 40 under 40 winners

Essence Wilson
Essence Wilson has dedicated herself to developing people and places to transform communities. She co-founded Communities First, Inc., a nonprofit community development corporation with her husband, Glenn Wilson.  The organization works to impact distressed communities through affordable housing, economic development, arts and culture outreach, and environmental education. This holistic approach to community development is producing lasting community change.  Her efforts in grant writing and project management have helped the organization secure more than $14 million of investment for the local community.
Essence has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University and is pursuing a master’s degree in management, strategy and leadership at Michigan State University. This education and prior experience working at General Motors helped her develop as a leader and innovator, which has served her well in the nonprofit arena.
Motivated by her experiences as an engineer, Essence recently co-developed a program for girls called Curiosity Academy.  This program is a collaborative community effort to increase the number of women in STEM. She previously coordinated Kagle Leadership Initiatives, a mentoring and leadership program at Kettering University.
Essence serves on committees in education, the arts and government with the goal of challenging the status quo and making life better for others.  She is a dynamic and informative speaker, presenting on leadership, community development, personal growth, and youth programming.